Startlingly, Donald Trump is actually now alleged in news reports to have shown off some of the classified materials he was eventually found to be harboring at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in southern Florida. These revelations, if conclusively confirmed, could expose him to even more criminal consequences under a piece of federal law called the Espionage Act, experts said.
“Similarly, if Trump had really showed off classified documents to people at Mar-a-Lago, then that would add to what we already know of his legal liability,” these figures wrote in a recent article for MSNBC. “But purposefully showing classified documents to others without authorization, in the manner reported by the Post and the Times, would go beyond retaining classified documents as prohibited by the statute. It likely constitutes an even more egregious violation of the Espionage Act under the clause prohibiting the willful communication, delivery or transmission of classified documents.”
Those responsible for this article and these assessments of how Trump might be charged under further provisions of federal law included former Obama team lawyer Norm Eisen, longtime attorney Fred Wertheimer, and Joshua Kolb.
Reports that have cited evidence seemingly pointing to Trump having shown classified materials to third parties include an article published in April by The New York Times. “Another said that, based on the questions they were asking, investigators appeared to believe that Mr. Trump showed the map to at least one adviser after leaving office,” that publication reported. The map at issue contained sensitive details, per available info.
Recently, other reports that have provided potentially concerning revelations for Trump include the claim from The Guardian that his lawyer Evan Corcoran encountered push-back to the prospect of him looking inside an office for Trump at Mar-a-Lago when conducting a search at the property as Justice Department personnel sought classified docs still in Trump’s possession before the eventual FBI raid. Was the ex-president hiding something, even from his own lawyers?
Prosecutors have also obtained notes Corcoran made that document him telling Trump he could not legally continue to retain classified documents. Trump having done so anyway could mean these notes provide the necessary link to establish a knowing violation of the law on Donald’s part.
